Boiler Upload's Big Ten football power rankings: Week #3
Week two of Big Ten football is officially in the books with lopsided wins in favor of the premier conference, intriguing non-conference matchups with fellow Power 5 programs and more going down over the weekend. Where does your team land in this week's Boiler Upload Big Ten football power rankings?
1. Michigan (2-0)
Week two result: 35-7 win over UNLV
Week three matchup: vs. Bowling Green
The non-conference schedule continues to be kind to Michigan without its head coach. The Wolverines rolled UNLV in Ann Arbor to move to 2-0.
JJ McCarthy continued his hot start to the season, and nearly has as many touchdowns (5) as incompletions (7) through two games. Blake Corum and Roman Wilson also combined for five touchdowns in the victory. Michigan’s defense was stellar as per usual. The group has allowed just 10 points so far this year.
Another dominant win, another week atop the Big Ten power rankings for the Wolverines.
2. Penn State: (2-0)
Week two result: 63-7 win over Delaware
Week three matchup: vs. Illinois
Happy Valley is flying high to start the year, as Penn State dominated Delaware 63-7 in week two. The Drew Allar takeover continues with another stellar performance. The Nittany Lions were able to get some young guys reps with the game out of hand by halftime. The defense forced two turnovers and gave up only 140 yards on the day.
James Franklin and company start a three week Big Ten slate against Illinois in week three.
3. Ohio State: (2-0)
Week two result: 35-7 win over Youngstown State
Week three matchup: vs. Western Kentucky
Ohio State picked up another dominant win in the non-conference, defeating Youngstown State 35-7.
After a relatively slow start in week one, Kyle McCord and the Ohio State offense got things cooking in Columbus. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka combined for over 250 yards and three scores in just one half of action.
Ryan Day and his team will have one more game to fine tune any deficiencies before taking on Notre Dame in week four in South Bend.
4. Iowa: (2-0)
Week two result: 20-13 win over Iowa State
Week three matchup: vs. Western Michigan
The Cy-Hawk rivalry hasn’t produced many high scoring battles in the last few meetings, and Saturday continued that trend.
Iowa had a mediocre day offensively, posting just 13 points and not having much success through the air. The defense, in what feels like a calling card, scored itself on a Sebastian Castro interception return for a touchdown.
It wasn’t pretty, but the Hawkeyes passed their first test and got Kirk Ferentz his 200th win in the process.
5. Maryland: (2-0)
Week two result: 38-20 win over Charlotte
Week three matchup: vs. Virginia
The Terrapins didn’t dominate in the fashion that was expected, but easily handled Charlotte on Saturday for a 38-20 victory.
Roman Hembry was the driving force behind the offense, rushing for 162 yards and a score. Taulia Tagovailoa threw two interceptions but still had a solid day at the office. Maryland’s defense gave up 20 points to a subpar Charlotte offense as well.
Maryland has Virginia on the docket in week three, and are favored by double digits against the 0-2 Cavs.
6. Wisconsin: (1-1)
Week two result: 31-23 loss to Washington State
Week three matchup: vs. Georgia Southern
Luke Fickell and the Badgers had their first hiccup of the season in a tough road test against Washington State on Saturday night.
After rushing for nearly 300 yards as a duo in week one, Chez Mellusi and Braelon Allen were held in check by the Cougars. Tanner Mordecai also continued to struggle with ball security, losing two fumbles in the loss. The defense also struggled against Cameron Ward and the Wazzou offense.
Wisconsin will have an opportunity to get its ducks in a row and bounce back against Georgia Southern in week three before Big Ten play begins
7. Minnesota: (2-0)
Week two result: 25-6 win over Eastern Michigan
Week three matchup: at North Carolina
PJ Fleck and the Golden Gophers moved to 2-0 with a victory over a solid Eastern Michigan squad.
Athan Kaliakmanis struggled with just 117 yards and an interception, but the Gophers’ QB wasn’t needed in the win. True freshman Darius Taylor exploded for 193 yards and a touchdown to guide Minnesota to a win. Sean Tyler added 93 yards on the ground as well. PJ Fleck’s defense did what PJ Fleck’s defense does in the victory as well.
Minnesota faces its toughest test of the season thus far with a trip to Chapel Hill awaiting next weekend.
8. Purdue: (1-1)
Week two result: 24-17 win over Virginia Tech
Week three matchup: vs. Syracuse
The Boilermakers bounced back from a tough loss in the season opener by defeating Virginia Tech in a game that took nearly nine hours to complete due to weather delays.
Hudson Card and the offense showed flashes in the win, but have yet to take the lid off and have a complete performance. Purdue’s defense took a big step forward, holding the Hokies to 17 points and just 11 rushing yards in Lane Stadium.
Purdue doesn’t have the luxury of a cupcake game on the slate and will have another battle up next when it hosts 2-0 Syracuse in week three.
9. Michigan State: (2-0)
Week two result: 45-14 win over Richmond
Week three matchup: vs. Washington
Sparty is one of two surprising teams to start the year out of the Big Ten East and moved to 2-0 over the weekend. Quarterback Noah Kim and running back Nathan Carter have been lights out against inferior competition over the last two games. The Spartans’ defense has also performed well to start the year.
That quick start may be unraveling soon, however. Michigan State takes on top ten Washington on Saturday and may lose its head coach Mel Tucker in the near future.
10. Illinois: (1-1)
Week two result: 34-23 loss to Kansas
Week three matchup: vs. Penn State
On the heels of a come from behind win against Toledo in week one, Illinois came out flat once again. The Illini were unable to erase a near 30 point deficit and fell to Kansas.
Luke Altmyer had another iffy passing performance, with a pair of interceptions. He somewhat made up for it with two rushing touchdowns, including a 72-yard score in the third quarter. The Illini offensive line struggled against the Jayhawks, allowing six sacks.
Bret Bielema’s defense has taken a step back after being one of the top units in the country last season. The group has allowed 28+ points twice, which was a mark only one team reached a year ago.
Illinois has issues on both sides of the ball and will have to fix them fast if they are to compete with Penn State in week three.
11. Rutgers: (2-0)
Week two result: 36-7 win over Temple
Week three matchup: vs. Virginia Tech
The other surprising start in the league belongs to Greg Schiano and Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights beat up on Temple to move to 2-0 on the year.
After a slow start to Saturday’s game, Gavin Wimsatt and the offense dropped 23 fourth quarter points to run away with the victory. Running back Kyle Monangai ran wild in the win, going for 165 yards.
Rutgers now gets set to host Virginia Tech in week three. If the Scarlet Knights can pick up another win, they would move to 3-0 heading into a date with Michigan.
12. Indiana: 1-1
Week two result: 41-7 win over Indiana State
Week three matchup: vs. Louisville
Indiana had a bounce back performance after a week one defeat against Ohio State, routing Indiana State 41-7 in Bloomington.
Tom Allen got big performances from a trio of talented young players on offense in the victory. Redshirt freshman quarterback Tayven Jackson showed promise in his second game with the Hoosiers, going 18/21 for 236 yards.
Running back Jaylin Lucas showed how explosive he can be out of the backfield, putting up 80 yards on 10 carries and two touchdowns. Freshman wide receiver Omar Cooper totaled seven catches for 101 yards as well.
While it’s a small sample size, Indiana has allowed just 10 points through two games for what looks to be an improved unit in 2023. The Hoosiers have a tough task in week three, as they take on Louisville and Jeff Brohm, who was 4-1 against Indiana during his tenure in West Lafayette.
13. Nebraska: (0-2)
Week two result: 36-14 loss to Colorado
Week three matchup: vs. Northern Illinois
After a last second loss in week one, Nebraska was viewed as a threat to halt Colorado’s momentum. Unfortunately for the Huskers, that did not come to fruition. After the loss, Nebraska is the only winless team in the conference.
Matt Rhule is going to have a difficult decision soon as transfer quarterback Jeff Sims continues to struggle. It could already be time to move on at the position to get the offense on track. The Huskers’ defense got shredded by the Buffs’ explosive offense to make matters worse.
Nebraska has its best chance to pick up a pair of wins over Northern Illinois and La Tech in the next two weeks before hosting Michigan at the end of the month.
14. Northwestern: (1-1)
Week two result: 38-7 win over UTEP
Week three matchup: at Duke
Northwestern football won a game. That is an accomplishment in and of itself for David Braun and company.
The Wildcats looked sluggish in the first half on offense, but responded by hanging 31 second half points to cruise to a win. Northwestern’s defense also came up big, surrendering just one scoring and getting three takeaways.
Evanston should enjoy this one as much as it can because next up for the Wildcats is a trip to the soaring Blue Devils of Duke.